“Yes, it’s going to be plenty cold enough for us,” Brown said. “We’ll go from one extreme of last year, of tropical 60 degrees, to frigid teens and 20s. But I think we really needed the cold weather to get us to the point we are right now.”

Last year the tournament was postponed due to warm weather. But temperatures aren’t expected to rise above freezing during this year’s three-day tournament, according to forecasts from the National Weather Service.

“We should have over 10 inches of ice, which is a pretty good number to look at as far as safety,” Brown said.

Brown said 85 teams will compete in this year’s tournament. Games begin tomorrow morning, and the day will include a 7:15 p.m. fireworks display.

A concession tent will have heaters to shelter spectators from the cold, Brown said. Games will continue Saturday and Sunday.

After day two of the three-day 1883 Black Ice Pond Hockey Championships, the Agawam Chiefs of Manchester, Mass., decided it was time for a new strategy. They had shot at every chance they could that day, scoring more than 50 points in two games to ensure a spot in yesterday morning’s semifinals. So the group of seven, most of whom …

Michelle Arndt flew more than a thousand miles this week to strap on snow boots, zip up a full-body jacket, swaddle her head in a scarf and stand outside in single-digit temperatures for hours cheering on her husband, Bob, on his path to potential greatness. Like several of her fellow chapped-lipped, flush-cheeked spectators who gathered yesterday morning at White Park …